The Yule Ball
by ndtigs
Summary: It's the night of the annual Yule Ball, and Rose Weasley still doesn't have a date.
"Rosie, red lipstick or pink?" Lily Potter asked her sixth year cousin, Rose Weasley.

"Red, I guess," Rose answered, staring at herself in the mirror. She was upset. It was the night of the Yule Ball, and she had no date. It didn't make sense to her; she was relatively pretty, very smart, and usually considered by most people as good company. Yet she had no date. All of her other cousins had managed to find someone to go with them, but Rose was left by herself. She had contemplated not going to the ball at all, but Rose assumed that more people would laugh if she didn't show up, than if she did without a date.

"Rose, are you okay? You should get dressed now," another cousin, Dominique said, as she carefully muttered beauty spells.

Rose sighed, and began pulling on a flowing green dress that she had bought with her mother that summer. Using her wand, she carefully put her curly red hair up, put a little makeup on to her face. She sighed again, just as Lily called, "Come on, Rose! We're leaving."

Outside of the dorm, the three girls meet up with Albus, James, Fred, and Louis. Albus and his boyfriend Liam were together, Louis was with Quincy Jordan, while James and Fred were with the Pinkus twins, Poppy and Paige. Lily and Dominique's dates were also there, and soon Rose was walking by herself, once again moping in her misfortune.

"What's wrong, Rosie?" Albus said, running up to her.

Usually Albus and Liam were attached by the hip, so Rose looked around for him, only to see him chatting with Louis and Quincy.

"Nothing, Al," Rose answered.

"Come on, Rose. You know that you can tell me anything."

"Really, Albus. It's nothing."

Al looked at her with an arched eyebrow.

"If you weren't so focused on Liam, you would probably know," Rose said judgmentally.

"Rose Cedrella Weasley!"

"Oh, alright," Rose sighed, finally giving in. "I'm just upset about the ball. I don't have a date, you know."

Albus's face visibly fell. His lower lip pushed forwards, like it always did when he was trying to hide something. Rose had come to know this look very well, and naturally was curious.

"Albus, what are you trying to hide from me?"

"Hide? I'm not hiding anything from you, Rosie," Albus lied.

"Yes, you are, my dear cousin."

"Rose - "

"Yes?"

"Well, I - "

"Please please tell me!"

"I would it you stopped interrupting me!"

"Oh, sorry Al,"

"I, well, um, you know how you don't have a date?"

"All too well, all too well," Rose said, jokingly.

"There's a reason."

"Other than the boys at school just not liking me?"

"No. Um, James somehow found out about every guy how was going to ask you out, and beat them up. He, um, got some of us to help."

"Some of 'us'?" Rose asked. She could feel her anger building up, but she had to know more about this. She wasn't Hermione Granger-Weasley's daughter for anything.

"Uh, you know, Rosie. Some of us cousins."

"ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER. YOU DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THIS."

"Don't blame me, Rosie! The other guys knew, too!"

After giving all of the boys a prompt talking to, Rose somehow entered the ball even angrier than she was when she had left her dorm.

She quickly noticed that many of the boys at the ball were deliberately staying out of her way, as if they were afraid of another beating from her cousins if they so much as greeted her when she walked in. She frowned, grabbed a goblet of pumpkin juice, and made her way to an empty table. She was glad that she'd brought a book with her, and grabbed it out of her bag, and opened it. Just as she was getting to the climax of the novel, she felt a tap on the shoulder. She quickly looked up, and saw Scorpius Malfoy. Malfoy was in her year, and incredibly bright just like her. But other than a few classes together, they rarely ever crossed paths. This was why Rose was so surprised when he asked her in a quiet yet elegant tone, "May I have this dance?"

Rose said yes. It was only natural. Malfoy was possibly the most desirable boy in the school. Not only was he smart, but he was also very handsome. Even if he had been half troll, Rose would have probably danced with him to show the school that at least she could get a dance. Rose stood up, took his hand, and the two walked on to the dance floor.

Music began playing once again, this time a waltz, and the two of them danced together.

"Who's your date, Malfoy?" Rose asked, as she focused on not stepping on his toes.

"Oh, I don't have one," he answered.

"Really? You know that you could have asked anyone in the school."

"Well, probably not the girl that I wanted to."

"Why's that, Malfoy?"

He looked nervous for a second, before quickly covering up by asking her, "Wait, Rose. Who's your date?"

"Oh," Rose said. She could feel the depression coming back over her. "I don't have one."

Malfoy seemed almost relieved. "Well, that makes the two of us," he said with a nervous chuckle.

The two continued dancing and talking for the rest of the dance. After it was over, Scorpius said to Rose, "I'm feeling a little stuffy ... mind coming out with me?"

Rose naturally agreed, and they walked out on to a nearby balcony together.

"Um, Rose?" Malfoy uneasily asked as they looked at the stars together.

Rose nodded.

"You remember the girl that I wanted to take out?"

He couldn't see her in the dark, so Rose thought it was acceptable to not try and hide her feelings. She frowned at the night sky. Over the night, she'd grown especially fond of Scorpius. She couldn't say that she liked him romantically, but still, how could a boy who had made her feel so special talk to her about another girl?

"Rose?" he asked again.

She lifted up her head, breaking free of her thoughts. "Yes?"

"So, um,"

Rose waited.

"I just wanted to er, tell you that it's, um, you."

Rose smiled at the stars.

"Rose? Rose, please say something."

She didn't say anything, but she did kiss him.

* * *

the end!

I kind of imagined Rose's dress as the one that Cecilia wears in _Atonement_.


End file.
